Fitness

It’s boggling to me on how much people simply freestyle in the gym and wonder why they don’t see results. If you don’t keep track of your workout you cannot expect results – bottom line! Write down your routine and track it week by week. This will allow you to progress your workouts more easily. It’s also motivating to see how well you are progressing. Grab this FREE TEMPLATE you can download that I personally use for tracking my workouts. You shouldn’t freestyle your workout if you are serious about making gains. Put it on paper/phone and track it every single time. Give your workout purpose!

2. Warm your ass up!

No really! Warm your lower back area by doing dynamic stretches as well as squats. Your mid-section also known as your CORE is hugely involved in coordinating your upper and lower body and if it’s warmed up, you’ll actually perform much better in your upper/lower body exercises. A quick warm up routine would be:-

Torso twist

Bird dog

Jumping Jacks

Squats

So warm up your butt, lower-back, and abs for an effective warm up.

3. Get Laser Focused

Remember Cyclopes from X-men? Well you need to be as laser focused as him when you get to the gym. I’m always in awe that the majority of people in the gym that I train out of have never transformed their body despite going to the gym for years. I’ve concluded that majority of these gym-goers are going with just the motion. What I mean is they simply push the weight or move the elliptical machine but they do not make that mind to muscle connection to get LASER FOCUSED with their workout routine. Therefore they miss out on actually seeing results. When you get laser focused and you are in tune with your workout then you shall see results. Be prepared to push yourself to an uncomfortable zone where it burns! That’s where results are sparked.

Of course there are man other key factors determines ones workout but we wanted to emphasize on these three!

[Disclaimer: Individuals seeking to improve their health should seek the advice of health professionals to maximize the effects of exercise and to get a physical activity clearance.]

Aspiring for health is a lifetime journey and is a precursor for a happy life. Here is 15 damn reasons to exercise!

1st damn reason to exercise: It improves the quality of your life. Being a couch potato hasn’t saved anyone to date.

2nd damn reason to exercise: Improves supply of oxygen to the cells. All functions occur from the cell level. When you are healthy you have healthier cells.

3rd damn reason to exercise: Increases brain power! With more blood and oxygen flowing to the brain it’ll help you stay focused, alert, and recall memory much better.

4th damn reason to exercise: Exercising improves your confidence.

5th damn reason to exercise: Improves skin by opening up your pores and ridding off toxins.

6th damn reason to exercise: it improves your immune function which is critical in keeping you healthy and not sick!

7th damn reason to exercise:It reduces stress when following a personalized program that’s challenging but doesn’t promote over-training.

8th damn reason to exercise: Its cheaper than therapy. Why must we put so much attention to curing when we can spend less time preventing and enhancing ourselves?

9th damn reason to exercise: When following a challenging program it can help reduce belly fat. This has psychological and physiological benefits. A lot of your organs are around the mid section and when you rid off excess fat you become much more healthier.

10th damn reason to exercise:It helps you in other areas in life such as your relationships, work, social, etc

11th damn reason to exercise: It gives you a competitive edge over people who don’t train.

12th damn reason to exercise: It helps with weight loss much more than just diet alone.

13th damn reason to exercise:Can dramatically help with reducing your headaches and migraines

Bulking up is – in so many ways – similar to losing weight, it’s often hard to dive into this conversation without delving into specifics. Even so, in those specifics it is often a hairline’s difference between a story of failure, and that of success. Nonetheless, for the novice in bulking up, three simple steps can set you on the right path to getting bigger, while staying healthy.

Step One: Recognize That Diet Is Critical

Trainers often say: muscle isn’t made in the gym, but in the kitchen. Though how you make your muscle in the kitchen is a complex system of eating enough calories, through the right foods.

Two common errors people make when trying to bulk up are eating too few calories, and eating junk. Simply drinking protein shakes and eating bad food is – and never will – balance well with any workout routine. Even working out six days a week will do nothing for a person trying to bulk up, as your body will be constantly playing a game of catch up with the type and amount of energy it has to burn.

People just beginning should be counting calories for the first few days to begin training themselves to consume enough calories to build healthy muscle mass. Calorie counting need not be a routine practice, only in the initial building process so beginners can have a baseline (of sorts) to then add 500 more calories per day to give their bodies more fuel to work with.

More calories cannot only be consumed through foods, but liquids as well. Whole milk, adding coconut oil, almond butter, and even olive oil are easy and healthful ways to mix into shakes, or even just add to meals.

Though it isn’t just about eating more, but what you are eating more of.

Protein is critical in the muscle-building process. Unfortunately, the amount of protein builders need is often a matter of differing opinion. None of the experts really seem to agree, and different amounts impact different athletes in even different ways. For novice builders, consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body weight is a good starting point. (Builders that do not know their body fat percentage can adjust to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of total body weight.)

The most important step in building a muscle-based work out plan is to work on building strength. With a stronger body comes more muscle mass.

A lot of body builders suggest breaking the body down into segments and working on them over different days of the week (example: leg day). The PROBLEM with splitting your routine based on body part is that your body doesn’t function like that. Isolation exercises can be a good starting point for the novice beginner but focusing on a full-body compound routine that involves the following movements is ideal for people attempting to build body mass: squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, bench presses, bent over rows, body rows, dips, push ups, pull ups, and barbell training is very beneficial. Click here for a SMART split routine by Pharmafreak.

How many sets and reps to do can get a little complex. But once builders find themselves adjusting to their new diet and exercise routine, a general guideline of reps with their goals in site is:

1-5 reps (strength and power)

5-8 reps (strength and some size)

8-12 reps (size and some strength)

12+ reps (muscular endurance)

Builders should start at a comfortable weight and add five pounds each week, waiting around 30secs to 1 minute between sets (although really just do the next set when ready); and always focus on stimulating, not completely annihilating, the muscles.

Lastly, there is the dreaded truth about cardio training. Cardio is important for a person’s overall health, though if you are serious about getting bigger and stronger, long-distance and large amounts of cardio training will only hurt you. Try mixing in sprints and interval training instead of traditional long 1hour cardio sessions.

Step Three: Don’t Forget Downtime

Your body needs recovery time to build and rebuild its muscles; just as it needs a chance to process those added calories you are putting into it. Rest and relaxation are just as important as muscle-building workouts and a healthy diet to the process of bulking up.

Making the choice to bulk up and gain healthy muscle-weight may seem daunting. But when it’s broken down into these three steps it seems almost a natural process. A healthy, protein-rich diet; a combination workout routine with focus on building strength; and an adequate amount of sleep and relaxation is sure to help you bulk up, in a big way.

Physical fitness is always a good topic, however, we must not forget that there are other facets of our lives that are also important, such as self esteem. How a person values himself/herself is quite essential, as it affects how he/she turns out later in life. If a person believes in themselves, their mood becomes balanced, and has the tendency to have a more positive outlook in life; it also results in healthy relationships.

There are a lot of ways to help improve one’s self esteem, and socializing is one of these. The advent of social networks such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook has made it easier for many to communicate and “socialize” online. In this light, online games have also become a platform for gamers to meet new friends. Unbeknownst to many, playing video and online games also help improve one’s self esteem. A study conducted by Dr. Andy Przybylski of the University of Oxford revealed that gamers can have the freedom to be who they want to be through the characters they design themselves.

“A game can be more fun when you get the chance to act and be like your ideal self,” Przybylski shares.

The positive effects of course, also rely on the type of game that is being played. Online games with “communities” where gamers can exchange ideas and tips create a friendly environment for people to socialize. Games that allow players to interact with each other allow players to feel a sense of belonging.

It may not be obvious to a lot of people, but game developers are gearing towards creating positive and welcoming communities to their players. UK-based game developer AlchemyBet, creators of Pocket Fruity, ensures that players and visitors are kept informed through the blogs on their online games.

“First, it will make it more attractive to the search engines. Secondly it’s a great way to provide information and educate your customer about your products, business, industry, etc. Lastly, a blog can give a human face to your business making it stand out from the crowd,” explains Bradley&Company.

While there are a lot of benefits in playing and socializing online, moderation is still key. One should remember that there is still no alternative to spending quality time with friends and family.

Being fit can affect every aspect of your life – not just your physical health, but your emotional and mental well being, too. Only 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity for 5 days out of the week can help you become physically fit. Fitness relates to physical activity. Fitness is not just a trim or muscular body or a 10K runner. I like to think of fitness as the key for optimal health and overall well being.

Many times fitness professionals are frustrated with clients who want to be fit, but don’t take the required actions. Many people think that by taking a pill or ordering a gadget seen on an infomercial will do the trick and they will become fit. How many of you have exercise equipment hiding in closet or under the bed and use your treadmill as a clothes hanger? Having the equipment alone won’t help you become physically fit. You have to use it. Physical fitness doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s not a quick fix. Looking like the models on TV selling exercise equipment is not practical for most people. Getting fit is not that easy. On the other hand, it’s not that hard. Understanding the benefits of being fit, feeling the benefits, and seeing the benefits keep us motivated and consistent.

Here are some of the health benefits that can save your life. Physical activity has a direct effect on the heart. It increases oxygen supply to the heart, decreases oxygen demands and improves the strength of the heart muscle contractions. Exercise lowers blood pressure. Exercise significantly improves blood sugar levels; which is important if you have type 2 diabetes or if you have a family history of diabetes.

Well-respected research shows that compared with active people, sedentary people have almost double the risk of developing or dying from coronary heart disease. This is critically important as heart disease remains the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. The New England Medical Journal states in a study of over 84,000 middle-aged women, who exercised moderately or vigorously for 30 minutes a day slashed their risk of heart disease by 80% (these women did not smoke cigarettes, were not overweight, and maintained a healthful diet).

Here are some tips to get you started.

• Get a physical exam before beginning any exercise program.• Find activities you enjoy doing each day.• Start slowly. Don’t expect fitness results to happen overnight.• Follow a progressive program of exercise. Hire a personal trainer to help you with motivation, coaching, or to learn how to exercise properly.• Invite a friend, spouse or family member to join you.• Set realistic goals and measure your results in 3 month intervals.• Don’t stop if you aren’t getting the results you except. If you stop, you will never get the results. Results aren’t just how you look, it’s how you feel and your level of health. • Think of exercise as adding quality months and years onto your life.